Tuesday, 16 August 2016

A THOUGHT FOR NOW - BRITAIN'S NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE :GOOD SERVICE NOT ACKNOWLEDGED, BECAUSE IT IS EXPECTED?







Positive comments or negative comments positively delivered can  motivate people to make positive changes; whereas negative comments, negatively given, can lead to a worsening situation.



And how often do we hear the refrain; ‘the National Health Service is falling apart.’
The standard of service is falling; the waiting list is getting longer; the Service is not coping?

Yes, to a lesser and greater extent, depending on which hospital or health facility, and the quality, expertise and professionalism of the practitioners under whose care you or your relatives or friends happen be accessing, the criticisms, individually or collectively, can be valid pronouncements.

But there is another side to this,; the positive side, which involves thousands of NHS staff doing their best each day, to provide competent services for their patients, and having successes in doing so.

Over recent weeks I have come across patients who have had the need to access three separate hospitals, with two out of these 3 visits resulting in a good standard of care being provided by 2 of the 3 hospitals visited. It was also the case that in the hospital where the overall care was not of a commendable standard, some practitioners had performed their duties commendably or satisfactorily.

During the most recent episode, a colleague of mine had an appointment for a diabetic screening eye appointment at a much criticised hospital in the West Midlands. The appointment was for 1400 hours, and by about 1430 hours, with my colleague having attend about 15 or 20 minutes before the appointed time, he had his pupil dilation drops, waited for it to take effect, and had his screening and was out of the hospital. Every stage of the process had been efficiently performed, with my colleague commenting on courteous, informative and overall very professional and competent service the Ophthalmologist and the reception staff had accorded him.  

With the issue of migrants and immigrants being in vogue in the United Kingdom and Europe and America, it might be of interest to point out that the Ophthalmologist, although probably British, was not of white native British origin. This being an example of the inter-dependence on which we humans have to rely. I say this in the sense that, it is not sufficient for us in the more developed countries to take the view that it is alright for us to entice the medical practitioners poorer countries have trained, without making some form of recompense to the people of these countries. Yes, such as taking a compassionate or more compassionate approach towards migrants and immigrants.



In endeavouring to get the most satisfactory and effective service from those providing it, be mindful of the need to be objective and fair in your evaluation, taking into account the context within which the service is provided, e.g., the number of persons and processes involved.The overall service might not be of the quality you want or which is required, but some staff might still have performed their tasks and duties very well.






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